372 Ulisse Aldrovandi

VII. Next, we must marvel at a horrific monster reported to have been born in a certain village in Germany in the year of our Lord 1523. Although others, such as Jakob Rüff and Ambroise Paré, maintain it was born in the village of Scecqner in Saxony, this monster, brought into the light by a woman, resembled a calf in almost all its parts. However, on the top of its head, a round, fleshy swelling was visible that perfectly resembled a priest’s tonsure; furthermore, a certain fleshy substance hung from its neck to its back, so elegantly formed that it represented a monk’s cowl. It was not without reason, therefore, that Sorbin, reflecting on this monster, named it the "Monk-Calf" and claimed it foretold the wicked preaching of the infamous Luther. But even more remarkable is that this monster had mangled legs, which perhaps indicated the punishment with which the stained infamy of the criminal Luther was to be afflicted on all sides. For this reason, Sorbin never ceases to contemplate God’s infinite mercy and just judgment toward the human race, since by the birth of this ignominious and terrible monster, He signaled the defection of the shameful Luther and his dishonest followers from the true faith.

VIII. Another, more formidable monster was born in Belgium to parents of no low status in the year of our Lord 1543—or, according to the opinion of Jakob Rüff and Cardano, it appeared in Kraków. This creature was covered with a tail, and in place of a nose, it bore a trunk. It had round eyes and ears like wings, with two additional eyes above the navel. The four digits on its feet and hands resembled the claws of a hawk, three of which were connected by a membrane, like those of a goose. Dog heads were attached to its elbows and knees; likewise, two heads—either of dogs or apes—protruded where the breasts should be. It lived for only three hours. Sorbin, contemplating this monster, seemed to shudder at the sheer number of dogs and apes, which he declared represented the many "dog-like" men then tearing apart the body of the Church. Consequently, a heavy vengeance from God was to be expected to punish the dog-like behavior of men, since at that time a large part of Germany was overflowing with insane and wandering riots.

Monsters that do not deviate greatly from the natural order can also pertain to prophecy, such as the one born in Paris in July 1570. It consisted of twins joined at the nose and sharing a single navel, and consequently with their heads, arms, and feet facing opposite directions. This monster was born to parents of the lowest rank—specifically, Pierre Germain, a porter, and his wife Mathée Pernelle. It was subsequently exhibited everywhere to both the nobility and the common people, leading various men to offer various prophecies. Some predicted from this unity of twins that a peace would be made, which the "Peacemakers" were then negotiating. Others, however, argued from their interpretation of this monster that the hope for peace was excluded, since one of these twins could not walk while the other could not sit. Because of this, several poems were composed about the peace envoys to whom the King had entrusted the business of concord, along these lines:

Who doubts that peace, dragged out for so long,

Will soon collapse into a greater evil?

The Peacemakers do not portend this with a lucky omen;

This one is lame in his feet, while that one sits poorly.

It should not be doubted that monsters of this kind were also seen in the past, in the times of Augustine, Jerome, and Paul the Deacon. For Saint Augustine recorded that in his age, an infant with double upper limbs was born in the East.

And Paul the Deacon mentions a monster born after the death of Theodosius, which was formed with two heads, a double chest, and consequently four hands, in which a double consciousness was observed: for while one was sleeping, the other head remained awake; indeed, while awake, they often quarreled with one another.

Finally, Jerome was the authority for a monster of almost the same species seen at Lydda; wherefore the two heads of the monster portended nothing but the confusion of empires and of almost all affairs. For then schisms emerged in ecclesiastical matters, and the wicked heresies of the Donatists and Pelagians erupted from the depths of hell, and infinite other calamities began to afflict the human race, all of which to recount